Dear friends and family, we have gathered together today, on this day of bright sun and warmbreezes, and in the midst of rich green growth, to join together X and W in marriage.

An estateinstituted in love, occasioned by joy, and honored and renewed by each couple who pledgethemselves to one another.

It is not therefore by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but

with discretion and reverence for its responsibilities as well as with praise and delight for itsinexpressible gifts.

This celebration is an outward token of an inward union of hearts, whichreligions may bless and the state may make laws about but which neither the state nor religionsmay create or annul Like the tiny spring, a union is created by a willingness to leap into theunknown, like the running river, nurtured by loving purpose and like the mighty ocean, kept strongby abiding will. It is for us, here, today, to acknowledge and celebrate the true marriage, whichalready exists in these two hearts.

Statement of commitment from the company gathered

Minister:

X and W would like to thank you for being here to support and participate in this wedding. Theideals, the understanding and the mutual respect these two bring to their marriage have roots inthe love, friendship and guidance with which you have provided them.

Let me ask of you, the parents, this question:Will you, who have raised and nurtured these two, bestow your blessing on their union and promisethem your love and support in fulfilling the commitment they are about to make to each other?

If you agree to support them, please signify by responding "We will."

Parents respond:

“We will”

And let me ask this also of the friends and family gathered here today:Will you bestow your blessing on their union and promise them your love and support in fulfillingthe commitment they are about to make to each other?If you agree to support them, please signify by responding "We will."

Guests respond: "We will"

Invocation

Minister: In this sacred and joyful moment we call upon the highest in W and X, the divine inner presence thatalways knows exactly what you need, that gives and asks the best of you, that which brought you tolove and has chosen for you the sweet commitment of marriage.

For you we ask every blessing of this moment: a confirmation of the wisdom of your choice; greathappiness on the path that is set before you; discretion, kindness, and care as you walk upon it;strength to live out your purpose; grace and peace through each step of your journey; and belovedfriends and family to support you.

May you be filled with joy; may you keep your promises withease; may love abide with you always.

Question of Intent

Minister: Since both of you are unique, you can be sure your partnership will be a creative adventure, withmany surprises yet to come! When faced with "interesting times" keep in mind that you willstrengthen your commitment and deepen your devotion to one another by working together andheeding each other's counsel.

I ask you now, what is your intent?

Will you share one another’s pain and seek to ease it, to shareyour laughter, and seek the brightness and best in life together?

Will you take the heat of youranger, in the moments when it arises, and use it to temper the strength of this union, and will youhonor one another in all you do and all you are?

If so, please signify by responding, “We will”.

X & W: We will.

ReadingPeter ‐ “Fidelity” by D.H. LawrenceExchange of VowsMinister:

The vows through which you accept each other as husband and wife have no hidden powers withinthemselves. Only to the extent that they express in words your continuing intention andcommitment do they have meaning, and your commitment to each other will need to be re‐ expressed in many different ways in the coming days and years. The expression of today’s vows aresimply a visible milestone in your journey together. Since it is your desire to enter into marriage,join hands, and declare your consent in the presence of family and friends assembled here andbefore all you hold sacred.

W, please repeat after me:I, W, take you X, above all others, to share my life, to have and to hold, from this day forward, forbetter for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, as long as weboth shall live.

W: I, W, take you X, above all others, to share my life, to have and to hold, from this day forward, forbetter for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, as long as weboth shall live.

Minister:

And X, please repeat after me:I, X, take you W, above all others, to share my life, to have and to hold, from this day forward, forbetter for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, as long as weboth shall live.

X:I, X, take you W, above all others, to share my life, to have and to hold, from this day forward, forbetter for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, as long as weboth shall live.

Pastoral Charge:

Minister:X and W. You have spoken your vows before all assembled here but not yet exchanged rings. Youare no longer alone, yet, not fully a new family. You stand on the threshold of a new life, a life livedtogether. You have come to this threshold, this doorway to a new life, because separately, for a longtime, you have each chosen the path of self‐knowledge. You have paid attention to who you are,what your life means and how you fit into the larger world.

Today, as you pass through this doorway, you will bring with you all that you have learned on ourindividual journeys and bring that richness to your bond with another person. Your marriage, as well as being the estate of joining with another human being, is also the union of two peoplecommitted to the process of their own becoming.

As the prophet Khalil Gibran has said:

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress

grow not in each other's shadow.

When you first began to plan this celebration of your marriage, you chose, as the site of theceremony, a gnarled, old, venerable oak tree. A fitting symbol of strength and long life, but then, thetree came to the end of its life, and you had to find a new place for this important ceremony. As youcelebrate this time of new beginnings, the passing of the oak is a reminder that into every life mustcome endings. Because you are each strong you will create a strong and resilient relationship inwhich you will help one‐another through the losses and surprises in life.

Heed the song of St. Hildegard of Bingen

Love gives herself to all things most excellent in the depths, and above the stars, cherishingall.

May you also remember to laugh, to play, and to seek the joy in life. Since human beings first walkedthis beautiful and terrible earth we have gathered together to create family, to create community.Through sharing we lessen the pain but also together we magnify the joy. Your commitment, one tothe other, brings your families and friends together. Your community will cry with you and laughwith you and love with you. You, two, together, create a larger and more connected and more lovinghuman family.

As His Holiness, the Dalai Lama has said 'Compassion and love are not mere luxuries.

As the source both of inner and external peace,

they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species.'

Now, as you step through the door into married life, give yourselves to the green growing gift, ofcommitment and love, and all of life will celebrate with you.

Song Deborah:Amazing Grace

Exchange of RingsMinister:May I have the rings please?May your rings always be a symbol of the unbroken circle of love.

Love freely given has nobeginning and no end. Love freely given has no separate giver and receiver.

You are each the giver,and each the receiver. May your rings always call to mind the freedom and power of this love.

Minister:

May I have X’s ring please?

This ring is a symbol of unity, in which your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. W, pleaseplace this ring on X’s finger and repeat after me:I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity.

W: I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity.

Minister:

May I have W’s ring please?This ring is a symbol of unity, in which your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. X, pleaseplace this ring on W’s finger and repeat after me:I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity.

X: I give you this ring to wear upon your hand as a symbol of our unity.

SongDeborah & Robert ‐ “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”

PronouncementMinister:

X and W, you are surrounded by your family and friends.

By sharing your commitment to eachother in our presence, our lives have been enriched along with yours.

Continue to build thisfoundation of love, and may you be bound by this love forever.

I now pronounce you, W and X,equal partners, united as husband and wife.

X, you may now kiss the groom!

Closing blessingMinister: “Northwest Wedding Blessing” by James BertolinoMay your love be firm, and may your dream of life together be a river between two shores‐‐by day bathed in sunlight, and by night illuminated from within.May the heron carry news of you to the heavens, and the salmon bring the sea's blue grace.May your twin thoughts spiral upward like leafy vines, like fiddle strings in the wind,and be as noble as the Douglas fir.May you never find yourselves back to back without love pulling you around into each other's arms.

RecessionalCouple walks out, then flowergirls and ringbearer, then best man and matron of honor, then 3bridesmaids and groomsmen, then minister.Music will be played by solo saxophonist

Minister:Thanks for coming!

Before you head over to the reception, W and X would like to invite you to gather for a group photo